ake yo' no further off
danger," he said, soberly. Then he followed Evilena to the kitchen,
where his entrance was greeted with considerable respect. When Nelse
appeared at Loringwood in his finest it was a sort of state affair in
the cook house. He was an honored guest with the grown folks, because
the grandeurs he had witnessed and could tell of, and he was a cause
of dread to the pickaninnies who were often threatened with banishment
to the Unc. Nelse glade, and they firmly believed he immediately sold
all the little darkies who put foot in his domain.

"Isn't he delightfully quaint?" asked the girl, rejoining Delaven.
"Gertrude never does seem to find him interesting; but I do. She has
been used to him always, of course, and I haven't, and she thinks it
was awful for him to sell Cynthia, just because she got religion and
would not behave. Now, I think it's funny; don't you?"

"Your historian has given me so many side-lights on slavery that I'm
dazzled with the brilliancy of them; whether serious or amusing, it is
astonishing."

"Only to strangers," said the girl; "to us they are never puzzling;
they are only grown-up children--even the wisest--and need to be
managed like children. Those crazy abolitionists should hear Nelse on
the 'hoodoo' of freedom; I fancy he would astonish them."

"Not the slightest doubt of it," agreed Delaven, who usually did agree
with Evilena--except when argument would prolong a tete-a-tete.

CHAPTER XIV.

Gertrude promptly assured old Nelse that the plantation needed no
extra caretakers just then, the work was progressing very well since
their return. Nelse swept the jockey cap over his feet in a profound
bow, and sauntered around the house. The mistress of Loringwood asked
Evilena to see if he had gone to his canoe. She did so, and reported
that he had gone direct to the stables, where he had looked carefully
over all the horses, and found one threatened with some dangerous
ailment requiring his personal ministrations. He had announced his
intention of staying right there until that horse was "up an' doin'
again." At that minute he was seated on a half bushel measure as on a
throne from which he was giving his orders, and all the young niggers
were fairly flying to execute them.

"It is no use, Gertrude," said Mrs. Nesbitt, with a sigh; "as soon as
I saw that vest and your grandfather's coat with the brass buttons, I
knew Nelse had come to stay a spell, and stay he will in